Renowned Physicist Stephen Hawking Dies Aged 76

Renowned Physicist Stephen Hawking, perhaps most famously known for his groundbreaking scientific breakthroughs in black holes and quantum physics in spite of having suffered from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), has passed on aged 76.

“He was a great scientist and an extraordinary man whose work and legacy will live on for many years.”

“His courage and persistence with his brilliance and humor inspired people across the world. He once said, ‘It would not be much of a universe if it wasn’t home to the people you love.’ We will miss him forever.”

Hawking was confined to an electric wheelchair for the most part of his adult life, having suffered from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Loh Gehrig’s disease.

Having been diagnosed with the disease at age 21, he was one of the longest survivors of ALS in history.

He moved around with the aid of an electric wheelchair, and communicated through a single cheek muscle using a speech-generating device.

Stephen Hawking in his younger days, before being diagnosed with the disease. Source

A Cambridge University professor, Hawking redefined cosmology by proposing that black holes emit radiation and later evaporate. He also made several other groundbreaking discoveries in relation to the Big Bang and quantum physics.